Setup Plone Dev Environment on Ubuntu/Windows/macOS

Plone is a powerful Python-based CMS. Setting up a dev environment is easy. Follow this guide for Ubuntu, Windows, or macOS.

Prerequisites

Before installing Plone, ensure you have Python 3.8+. Check your Python version:

import sys
print(sys.version)

If you need Python setup help, see our Installing Plone 6 guide.

Ubuntu Setup

First, update your system packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install required dependencies:

sudo apt install -y python3-dev python3-pip build-essential libssl-dev libxml2-dev libxslt1-dev libjpeg-dev libpq-dev libffi-dev

Windows Setup

On Windows, install Python from python.org. Check "Add to PATH" during installation.

Install Visual C++ Build Tools for dependencies. Use the official installer.

macOS Setup

Install Homebrew if you don't have it:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Install Python and dependencies:

brew install python libxml2 libxslt libjpeg

Create a Virtual Environment

Always use a virtual environment for Python projects. It keeps dependencies isolated.

Create and activate a venv:

python -m venv plone-env
source plone-env/bin/activate  # Linux/macOS
plone-env\Scripts\activate.bat  # Windows

Install Plone

With your venv active, install Plone:

pip install Plone

If you get No module named 'plone', see our troubleshooting guide.

Verify Installation

Check Plone version to confirm installation:

from plone import __version__
print(f"Plone version: {__version__}")

Create a Plone Site

Use this command to create a new Plone site:

mkwsgiinstance -d . -u admin:admin

Start the development server:

./bin/runwsgi

Access Your Site

Open http://localhost:8080 in your browser. Use admin:admin to log in.

Congratulations! Your Plone dev environment is ready.

Conclusion

Setting up Plone is straightforward. Remember to use a virtual environment. Keep dependencies updated. Happy coding with Plone!